Literacy is different for every individual. For me literacy is the ability to do and understand something no matter what it is.

I think that there are many different types of literacy and people can excel in one literacy more than another or even in multiple literacy types. The literacy types that have affected my life the most include conventional literacy, social literacy, math literacy, and musical literacy. All of these types of literacies have played big roles in forming me into the person I am. The first type of literacy that has affected my life the most is conventional literacy. Conventional literacy is the ability to read and write and understand what one is reading and writing. My first experiences with conventional literacy started when I was very young and I would read childrens books with my parents. As a child I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I would make my parents and grandparents read to me all the time. I started formally learning to read in kindergarten and once I learned to read on my own I loved reading even more. I think that conventional literacy has been the building block of all other types of literacy in my life. Once I got older other types of literacy started to show up in my life such as math literacy and social literacy. As a child I spent most of my time with my cousins and other family members so social interaction was never really a problem until I started school. Once I started school I watched a lot of PBS Kids shows like Arthur and they taught me how to interact with other children. I was never good at sharing before that and these shows showed me how to share and be kinder to other children. Social literacy has played a huge part in my life and I have learned even more about social interaction since growing older. Math literacy has helped in my life a lot too. I have always been good at math and I do not think I would be as good without the show Cyberchase, a show
Comment [C12]: What have you learned as you have grown? How is social literacy as a child different than when you are an adult? Comment [C13]: What does it mean to be good at math, in your opinion? Comment [C9]: Why? Did you get along well with your cousins? How old were they compared to you? Did you learn social skills, or did you acquire them through observation? Give an example or two to illustrate your point. Comment [C10]: What changed when you started school? Comment [C11]: How? Can you give an example? Comment [C4]: Like what? Can you give some examples of your favorites? Comment [C5]: Why? What about reading did you enjoy? Comment [C6]: Where did you like to read? Was there a special place or time for reading? Comment [C7]: What did that entail? How did you learn to read? Comment [C8]: How so? Comment [C2]: So you are going to discuss four different types of literacies in which you are fluent? Remember that this is a personal narrative, so you do not necessarily have to have a formal introduction and a thesis statement. Make this memoir yours! Comment [C3]: Read and write what? Are you literate in English? In specific areas of reading and writing? Comment [C1]: What do you mean by do and understand? Think about these terms and what they might mean in a deeper way.

about simple algebra and many other types of math. It helped me overcome my struggles with math during my middle school years and I am so thankful for that. Early social literacy and math literacy have both helped me to get where I am today. Without conventional literacy I would not have been able to obtain these types of literacy. The most important type of literacy in my life, besides conventional literacy, is definitely musical literacy. Music has always played a big part in my life from my grandfather singing and playing guitar to my own musical experiences. My first true experience with music that has made me adore it, was my first year in chorus in high school. I was shy and I did not know a single person but they made me feel welcome. My chorus teacher, Mrs. Neale, played a big role in me wanting to make music my career. She taught me that singing could be more than just a hobby, that it was an art form and a great way to show true emotions. She also taught me how to read music and to truly connect with a song to portray emotion to an audience. Social literacy and math literacy along with conventional literacy have helped me to obtain musical literacy. She helped me love music, she helped me get involved with musical theater, and she made me want to make it my career. I hope to either be a theater teacher, music teacher, or a vocal performance major to make my career possible. In conclusion, without conventional literacy I would not have been able to obtain any of these other literacy types. Literacy is an important part of my life and all of the different types of literacy in my life connect with each other. The definition of literacy is definitely different for everyone and I do not think there will ever be an official definition of literacy.
Comment [C20]: This seems to be randomly dropped into the paragraph, but I am interested to hear more! How do your other literacies relate to musical literacy? Comment [C21]: Like what? Do you perform, work backstage? I was Captain Smith in Titanic: The Musical in eighth grade one of the most fun experiences of my life. Comment [C22]: How do these goals relate to your literacies? How do you hope to help students/audiences understand literacy in the future? Comment [C19]: How did she teach you? Any memorable strategies or activities? Comment [C17]: I love this image! Consider making it more personal maybe describing an event where he played and sang as the opening for your paragraph. Just a thought Comment [C18]: Who? Your peers? Teacher? Comment [C14]: How did it help you? Im not familiar with the show, so as a reader, I want to know more! Comment [C15]: What do you mean? How are social and math literacy beneficial? Comment [C16]: Im interested in your thinking here. What connections do you see between conventional literacy and social/math literacy?

Comment [C23]: Taylor, you explore some interesting ideas through different literacies in your life. I enjoyed reading about your musical literacy, especially, because it seemed to be more personal and therefore more engaging to read. My biggest suggestions at this point are to dig deeper and to show connections! Because this is a personal narrative, you do not have to limit yourself to a traditional essay format. Make your experiences personal by describing them and giving details about people and places and events. Also, I am really interested to hear your thoughts about how all of your literacies are connected to one another. I think you can stretch that thinking quite a bit to add depth to your memoir. I hope my suggestions are helpful. Mrs. Davis